Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Peyton Foster, a 9-year old boy in New York, has suffered second-degree burns from his light-up sneakers. According to Metro, in the U.K., the burns occurred after his Skechers Skech Rayz leaked acid onto his feet. The malfunction occurred when the sneakers got wet while he was playing at school. The water caused the shoes to leak acid onto his feet as he walked for the remainder of the day. His mother Sherry did not become aware of the burns until a day later. "[His feet] were a little bit red, I didn’t think anything of it, maybe that they were cold from playing in the water," she told Metro. "The next day he came home and was really complaining." Sherry also said that the pain from the burns left Peyton unable to walk. The blisters will have to be treated with an antibiotic cream and steroid, and recovery is expected to take roughly three weeks. His mother says the incident has, "left him with a phobia of wearing shoes."

She has since contacted Skechers who offered her a free replacement pair of sneakers. However, she declined the gesture and may be considering legal action. She also gave a warning to other parents who may be letting their kids wear these Skechers shoes. "If parents buy these, I recommend they do not get them wet or jump in puddles," she told CafeMom. "I know kids love them because of the cool lights but be careful."

In a statement provided to CafeMom, Skechers said, "Skechers footwear products are rigorously tested for safety. Skechers, a family brand, has sold millions of pairs of children’s lighted footwear worldwide and has not had one incident of chemical burns reported. Notwithstanding, when Ms. Foster’s Facebook post was brought to our attention Friday, June 29, we immediately contacted her, inquired about her son, and asked her to send us the shoes so we can determine whether the shoes contributed to her son’s injuries. Ms. Foster has agreed to send us the shoes, and we will continue our investigation. Despite the lack of any other similar reported incidents, we are taking this complaint very seriously and giving it the highest priority."